When Oregon's offensive linemen stick and move, and when its receivers flatten defensive backs downfield, Barner revels in an 11-on-8 world, in the midst of an epicurean offense the Pac-10 or 12 never has witnessed.

Even in Oregon's cavalcade of silly stats, Barner's numbers against USC on Saturday were distinctive.

He glided and eluded and slipped and slid and burst his way to 321 yards on 38 carries, plus five touchdowns.

That's 80 yards more than any runner ever has gained on the Trojans, and only 85 fewer than LaDainian Tomlinson's all-time FBS record.

Along the way, the Ducks perversely honored USC's '62 national champions by hanging 62 points on college football's August champions.

The final was 62-51, in a caricature of conventional football that featured no punts in the first three quarters, 1,345 combined yards, and 14 Oregon possessions that included nine touchdowns, a fumble, a punt, a missed field goal and two take-a-knees.

"We had to be assignment-perfect," USC linebacker Dion Bailey said, "and we weren't. We were last year, when we beat them. Tonight we made mistakes. You can't get away with it against them."

"Everyone talks about how fast we play, but if you're not precise, you're not going to get on the field," Barner said. "The only way I can get that many yards is communication."

Someone asked Barner if a game like this made him think Oregon is the nation's best team.

"I always think we're the best team," he said.

The Ducks might not get a chance to find out.

And if they do, they might owe a favor to USC, which can theoretically knock off Notre Dame in November. Kansas State also is ranked ahead of the Ducks in the BCS standings, with Alabama No. 1.

A flimsy schedule has punished the Ducks. But their accomplishments would be impressive even against pylons. They have scored at least 40 points in 12 consecutive games, and have posted at least 49 in 10 of them.

"We raise our head sometime in December and we see where we are," Coach Chip Kelly said. "Our only goal is to be 1-0 on Saturday night. We've done it nine times now and we're going to try to keep doing it."

Those who only see Oregon's highlights do not see the whole picture. Yes, the Ducks live on big plays, six of 25 or more yards in this game alone. But their real identity is ground-based, with a scraped nose, with Barner bouncing off tacklers and taking advantage of Oregon's unique choreography.

They ran the ball 60 times Saturday and outrushed the Trojans, 426-131. Teams that play so fast and use so much movement do not usually have such exquisite timing. And most runners lack the slow-then-go subtleties Barner has, to allow his blockers to block.

"We don't have selective responsibilities," Kelly said. "We don't have receivers who take plays off because they know they're not getting the ball."

But Kelly also noticed that his defensive backs gathered around USC's Marqise Lee and Matt Barkley, when the game ended, and paid homage.

Barkley threw for five touchdowns and 484 yards, and Lee caught 12 for 157 (5 yards fewer than the haul by freshman Nelson Agholor).

"There are nights when you tip our cap," Kelly said. "Marqise Lee is the best receiver I've ever coached against. And I said this when it happened: When Matt Barkley announced he was coming back this year, I threw up."

Freshman QB Marcus Mariota stabilized Kelly's digestion by coming up with scoring drives whenever USC grew dangerously close. At no time in the second half did the Trojans have the ball with a chance for the lead.

Barner now has 1,330 yards. The FBS leader, coming into Saturday, was Nevada's Stefphon Jefferson with 1,341.

"We've always had somebody else in the past, like LaMichael James last year," Kelly said. "Now Kenjon's the guy."

Barner is one of two seniors who start on offense, and he is known as a clothes horse who was accused by one teammate of even putting cologne in his socks. He also is the sixth of six children, and when he left Riverside, Oregon was not yet the epitome of gridiron cool.

"I felt like I needed to leave California," he said. "The great thing has been the way the community has accepted me. The people in an athletic program, they're always going to love you, but you won't find a lot of places as warm as Eugene."

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